1. Field of the Invention
This invention related generally to rolling mills producing hot rolled steel bars and the like, and is concerned in particular with an improved apparatus for receiving the bars moving longitudinally along an entry path, and for laterally transferring the bars from the entry path to a braking path where they are allowed to slide to a stop before being transferred to a cooling bed or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a known prior art bar handling system, as depicted in FIGS. 11A to 11D, an exit roller table comprises a series of driven table rollers 10 arranged along an entry path Pe. The entry path Pe is separated from a braking path Pb by a dividing wall 12.
At the stage depicted in FIG. 11A, the front end of a bar B1 is approaching the exit roller table and is being guided along the entry path Pe by a pivotable paddle switch 14.
In FIG. 11B, the dividing wall 12 has been lowered, allowing the bar to slide laterally into the braking path Pb, and the switch 14 has been pivoted to an inoperative position clear of the entry path Pe.
In FIG. 11C, the tail end of the bar B1 is approaching the exit roller table, and is followed closely by the front end of the next oncoming bar B2. The switch has been 14 returned to its operative position in anticipation of the arrival of bar B2.
As shown in FIG. 11D, the operatively positioned switch 14 produces a kink 16 in the tail end of bar B1. Such kinks can snag on the dividing wall 12 and other downstream structures, causing interruptions in the processing of subsequent bars. At higher rolling speeds, this problem is exacerbated by increased bar momentum.
The present invention has as its primary objective the elimination of the prior art paddle switch 14 in favor of an improved rotary switch arrangement which anticipates the arrival of each bar front end without deforming the tail ends of preceding bars.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: